Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques-Chapter 81: Leaping Through the Dragon Gate Again! (I)

The next morning, outside the Prefectural Yamen, rows of shriveled corpses lay neatly arranged on the ground. The prefect, Li Mu, stood in front of them, his face pale. This was the fifth batch of corpses.

The first corpses had appeared several months back, but at that time, no one thought much of it. Refugees had been flooding the region, and death was an everyday occurrence. A few corpses were hardly a concern.

But then, a second bunch appeared, followed by a third, and then a fourth. The corpses began turning up almost every month, the frequency of the incidents steadily rising. Only then did Li Mu realize something was terribly wrong. He ordered the coroners to conduct a thorough examination of the bodies, and what they discovered sent a chill through him.

Those people had not been killed by men or wild beasts.

"Demonic martial artists!" Li Mu exclaimed, his voice low and strained. "The ones spoken of only in legend. When a nation is about to fall, evil always rises with it. And now... even demonic martial artists have emerged."

To most people, the idea of demonic martial artists was merely folklore, but official archives told a different story. According to prefectural records, every time they emerged, calamity followed. They were harbingers of chaos, almost always appearing in great numbers toward the end of a dynasty. With over three hundred years since the founding of the Da Yu Dynasty, the timing explained their return.

"M-My lord, if it truly is demonic martial artists... what is the yamen supposed to do?" a constable asked shakily.

Demonic martial artists were humans who cultivated demonic arts. Some even underwent demonic transformation, turning into grotesque beings that were neither fully human nor fully monster.

The most terrifying part was that most of the time, demonic martial artists looked no different from ordinary people. They blended in with regular folk, concealing themselves perfectly. When they were discovered, it was often too late.

Now that such entities had emerged in Nanyang Prefecture, the constables ordered to investigate were terrified. They were hoping they would not find any demonic martial artist, for if they did, they would not live to report back.

"Nanyang Prefecture has no shortage of martial arts centers and sects," Li Mu snarled. "Wealthy merchants and powerful clans have plenty of martial artists too, and quite a few of them are at the Organ Refinement Stage. Summon all of them and ask them to investigate."

He shook his head and let out a contemptuous snort. He had long been dissatisfied with these forces.

Li Mu continued, "They were useless when the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert caused trouble, and I let that slide. But this time I won't let them sit back and do nothing."

Though chaos had spread across the land, Nanyang Prefecture remained under firm imperial control. As long as that did not change, the wealthy and influential knew better than to disregard Li Mu, the prefect.

Soon after, the yamen began posting notices throughout the city. Bounties were placed on the heads of strange martial artists and anyone who seemed suspicious or displayed abnormal behaviour.

Passing by the yamen, Lu Changsheng noticed the crowd. He pushed through and saw shriveled corpses laid out on the ground and the freshly posted notices fluttering on the walls.

Demonic martial artists? Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed, studying the notices. He had never heard of them, but clearly, the yamen believed they existed.

He looked down at the shriveled corpses, and in an instant, he thought back to the bodies he had encountered the previous night in the ditch.

Could those corpses have been killed by a demonic martial artist? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He studied the scene for a long moment, committing the details to memory. Then, without another word, he turned away and headed toward Miaoren Hall.

Inside Miaoren Hall, apprentices gathered in small clusters, whispering about demonic martial artists with a mix of curiosity and fear. Lu Changsheng was intrigued as well. He turned toward Wang Ruhai, the most senior physician present, a man who had seen far more than the rest.

"Physician Wang, do you know what demonic martial artists are?" he asked quietly.

Wang Ruhai shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Demonic martial artists... It's been many years since anyone last spoke of them seriously. We only hear about them in legend.

"From what I heard growing up, demonic martial artists were once human. But they practiced evil arts and gained strange, demonic abilities. Many of them used people as materials for cultivation. Some drained blood, others devoured flesh. They are truly terrifying. Only martial artists at the Divine Strength Realm or above are said to be capable of dealing with them."

Lu Changsheng nodded slowly, deep in thought. After a moment, he asked again, "Physician Wang, they say demonic martial artists come from demons. Have you ever seen a demon?"

"Demons?" Wang Ruhai snorted. "No. I've never seen one. I have not even heard of anyone who truly has. If you ask me, demons themselves might be nothing more than rumors."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Demons are most likely just made up by people. As for demonic martial artists, they are simply martial artists who cultivate evil arts. But because they use living people for cultivation and commit heinous acts, they are branded as demonic."

It was clear Wang Ruhai did not really believe in demons. To him, even the term "demonic martial artist" felt exaggerated, a name born from fear more than anything.

Lu Changsheng nodded and chose not to press Wang Ruhai further. He knew that if he wanted real answers, he would have to visit the Prefectural Yamen as Zhuang Shisan. He had no doubt that Li Mu knew far more about demonic martial artists than an old physician ever could.